“We have two cognitive minds each with it’s own logical and perceptual processing, synchronous and modulated by intensity. (weighting)” – el Loco Gringo

Survival

Reductionist/Constructionist

Survival Value

This may come as a shock, but I am beginning to think that I may have been wrong. If true, this will be a first. I had made the comment “I don’t see the survival value in dumb”. But there may have been at one time in our evolution. Think of Ardi (creationists worst nightmare, we didn’t evolve from chimps, chimps evolved from us) in the paleolithic conscious constructionist thinking (CT) would have a definite negative survival value. Ergo selection (or de-selection if you prefer) would have favored restricting constructionist thinking to the un-conscious, ie dreaming. This is no longer the case, however.

Consider;

CT requires the ability to hold several seemingly disparate concepts in the mind simultaneously. Not to be confused with the Orwellian “double think” in which several actually disparate and mutually exclusive concepts can be held in the mind comfortably. For instance, accepting the data presented in ratbrain-2 and and the tenets of psychology simultaneously strikes me as insane. One of them is obviously WRONG, For instance; I worked with a geophysical company that was manned by fundamentalists. They “knew” the earth was created 4,000 years ago. That was a “truth”. At the same time their job consisted of classifying rotifers to properly determine how many millions of years ago a geological structure was formed. That was also a “truth”. When queried they responded “I couldn’t understand secular humanism” (They’re right on that.) Think of CT as parallel processing. Hold that thought.

Reductionist Thinking limits the answer to what is actually “the best answer to date” as determined by CT, it dictates a single answer or conclusion for rapid response. It is not THE truth, but only A truth. One of many. Think of RT as serial processing. Hold that thought.

I am aware of only a handful of people who are capable of “switch hitting” IE volitionally able to go from RT to CT. Hold that thought.

CT is described as an “enhanced state” of consciousness. I don’t see it that way, it’s only different from RT. Hold that thought.

Many meditative techniques claim to enable one to enter this enhanced state, probably true, what they describe is what I experience. A sense of being one with the universe, (as perceived by me) a connectedness with my fellow man, a wholeness. Hold that thought.

One difference between RT and CT is that with RT you may “know” the answer but with CT you “understand” the question. BIG difference. Hold that thought.

As soon as my mind determines that the RT “truth” is bullshit it switches to CT (if I’m interested) else I just change the subject or inform them they are an idiot. Hold that thought.

I am aware of my mind, In the sense I am aware of any part of my body. I understand this is unusual. Hold that thought.

Consider the video on Jill Taylor “A stroke of insight”. She was a neuroscientist who was forcibly dumped into CT (right hemisphere) by a stroke which disabled much of her left hemisphere. (her mind went to “plan B”). She eloquently and effusively describes her experience, one result of which was an “explosion” of creativity. Consider, she was a person who had studied the workings of the mind for 30 years AND WAS NOT EVEN AWARE THAT THAT LEVEL OF CONSCIOUSNESS EXISTED. WOW! She “knew” the answer before, she “understands” the question now. (you’ve got to ask the right question if you expect a reasonable answer). She is now a “switch hitter”, she can step into either mode of thought. She describes the experience as “overpowering”. It’s not, she’s just never been there before. It’s just CT thinking, asking the right question.